Cameroon

Africa (Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, a.k.a. the Gulf of Guinea, and between the coastal countries of Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.)

Capital

Yaounde

Population

About 24 million

Language

English and French (predominant) are the official languages, with most speak one of 24 major African languages

Religion

Indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

Terrain

Tropical coastal plain in the southwest, with a plateau, mountains, and semi-arid plains inland.

Sports

Cameroonians use sports, especially swimming, canoe racing, and tug of war, as ways to settle disputes.

Cameroonians are soccer fanatics, and Cameroon has been in the World Cup several times.

Animals

Practically every type of African animal lives in Cameroon’s tropical, forest, open woodland, and savanna areas.

The best known animals include buffalo, elephant, hippopotamus, antelope, Derby eland, and kudu.

22 Primate species live in the coastal forests.

Facts of Interest

Lake Nyos (see picture above) is a crater lake. Its magma beneath the lake leaks carbon dioxide. In 1986, a large cloud of carbon dioxide suffocated nearly 1,800 people and about 3,500 livestock.

This is the only country named after a crustacean. 15th century Portuguese explorers named the mouth one of the rivers ‘Rio dos Camaroes’ (River of Prawns) after the abundant shrimp. Over time, Camaroes became Camaroon, and the name of the country.

Over 200 ethnic groups live in Cameroon.

Cameroon was ruled by Germany until 1914, followed by France and Britain until 1960.

Concerns

Based on 2016 data, about 260,000 refugees from Central African Republic and about 65,000 refugees from Nigeria have entered Camaroon.

Over 200 ethnic groups live in Cameroon. A history of religious and ethnic wars in the 1960s resulted in a brutal dictatorship until the 1980s, when a two year civil war took place. In 1983, a less brutal dictator, Paul Biya, became the leader. Biya has since been elected as president since elections were introduced in 1992.